Marathas take to streets to press for reservation
Better future for the next generation – this was the reason why most Marathas from across the state took part in the Maratha Kranti Morcha in Mumbai on Wednesday.
A case in point could be Neelam Patil, 25, who could not get her brother enrolled in an engineering college because the fee was ₹80,000.
“Aspiring students from other castes pay ₹8,000. It has become impossible to study, aspire to do well, and compete with students who have the backing of reservation,” said Patil, who walked all the way to Azad Maidan.
The Maratha community staged a massive silent protest with about 1.5lakh members gathering outside Byculla zoo to march to Azad Maidan.
The protesters want reservation for the Maratha Community in government jobs and higher education institutes.
The community’s other major demand is justice for the 14-year-old girl who was brutally raped and murdered at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district in July 2016.
Nagesh Thorat, who travelled to Mumbai from Solapur, said, “I am participating in the rally to secure the future of my son, and the next generation.”
Meanwhile, Sanjay Amale rallied with a mannequin propped up on a rod, and a rope tied to its neck, demanding justice for the victim of Kopardi rape case.
Jyoti Mahabal, 60 old said,”My son is hard working, but we don’t have the means to pay the fees. He wanted to study engineering, but did not get into a college of his choice.”
Ravisha Jadhav, a 25-yearold science teacher from Chembur, said, “I wanted to study medicine. I had to change my profession because I could not compete with students who got admission though the reserved quota.”